hoe
noun
a long-handled implement having a thin, flat blade usually set transversely, used to break up the surface of the ground, destroy weeds, etc.
hoe
1 American
[hoh]
/ hoʊ /
noun
-
hoes
plural
-
a long-handled implement having a thin, flat blade usually set transversely, used to break up the surface of the ground, destroy weeds, etc.
-
any of various implements of similar form, as for mixing plaster or mortar.
verb (used with object)
-
hoes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoed,
past participle, past
-
hoeing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
hoes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoed,
past participle, past
-
hoeing
present participle
Hoe
2
American
[hoh]
/ hoʊ /
noun
-
Richard, 1812–86, U.S. inventor and manufacturer of printing-press equipment.
-
his father Robert, 1784–1833, U.S. manufacturer of printing presses.
hoe
British
/ həʊ /
noun
verb
hoe
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hoesimple
-
hoessimple
-
have hoedperfect
-
has hoedperfect
-
am hoeingprogressive
-
are hoeingprogressive
-
is hoeingprogressive
-
have been hoeingperfect progressive
-
has been hoeingperfect progressive
Past
-
hoedsimple
-
had hoedperfect
-
was hoeingprogressive
-
were hoeingprogressive
-
had been hoeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hoe
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English howe, from Old French houe, from Germanic; compare Middle Dutch houwe, Old High German houwa “mattock”; akin to hew
Explanation
A hoe is a gardening tool made up of a long handle with a sharp metal blade at the end, used to stab the ground and loosen it. Hoe can be a noun or a verb, so you can use your hoe to remove weeds from a lawn, or you can hoe your garden and make it ready to plant. The word shares the same root as hew, which is a verb that means "to strike, chop, or cut." The “oe” seems tricky, but remember that it never changes, and even if you’re hoeing with three hoes in grass you hoed yesterday, the hoe stays the same.
Vocabulary lists containing hoe
The Circuit
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Elijah of Buxton
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Shiloh
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The track hoe operator repeatedly spun the machine to the west, dug into a mound of sand, spun 180 degrees and dropped the sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Because of TV streaming platforms and other factors, he said, "in my take of things, it's going to be a very rough road to hoe now."
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
At the farm, he leaves a foot between rows of Allium to allow for easy weeding with the six-inch blade of a stirrup hoe.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
"This will be a hard row to hoe, given that this same jury is daily receiving new evidence that the defendant, outside the courtroom, continues to spread the lie undeterred," Ms Jones said.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024
I imagined my arms swinging heavy at my sides like two thick hoe handles.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
Formerly known as Roslyn Hoe, it had become a small hotel by the 1930s.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
“She’s the global phenomenon right now and she’s representing Taiwan,” said Benson Hu, 31, who has been doing drag in Taiwan for three years as Sandra Hoe.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2024
Infectious diseases expert Leong Hoe Nam said many of the locals signing up at his Rophi Clinic for Sinovac were in their 60s and echoed such fears.
From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2021
The incident happened on Hoe Avenue Thursday in the middle of the afternoon.
From Fox News ● Sep. 13, 2020
Hoe that cornfield again, scrub that porch, weed that bean patch.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
It can turn a century-old maker of back hoes and mining trucks into a hot tech stock.
From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026
One account said the Russians paid the Kashia Pomo people already living there “three blankets, two axes, three hoes, and a miscellaneous assortment of beads” for the use of the land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025
In scorching heat, they attacked solid ground with pickaxes and hoes before carefully tucking the seedlings into the earth.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2024
Officers were seen using rakes and hoes, strimmers and a small excavator to clear paths through the scrub on a nearby slope - the sound of machinery at work audible in the remote area.
From BBC ● May 25, 2023
Wedged between a column by the Home Extension Service and a chopped-off ad for garden hoes, there was a small but conspicuous headline.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
"But it's temporary," she sighed, standing barefoot in her freshly hoed soil.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
The Renegades hoed a tougher road, squeaking into the playoffs in the final week with a 4-6 record.
From Washington Times ● May 10, 2023
Workers hoed endlessly to control the weeds and nipped small shoots and flowers to force the growth of larger leaves.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
Santa paced the room, ho-hoed and hoed some more, dished the presents out one by one, built the tension terrifically, eventually stopped in front of me and my new best mate.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 25, 2017
Dustfinger had often entertained the maids as they hoed the beds.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
The last stretch of the journey to Cynthia takes me along a dirt track, past meandering cattle, a man hoeing his vegetable patch, and groups of women and children returning from church.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
A detailed analysis of five gardening activities — digging, hoeing, raking, troweling and weeding — found that gardening uses a variety of both upper- and lower-body muscles.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 22, 2022
Like slaves and servants, poor free women performed hard field labor like hoeing and reaping.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
"I would finish hoeing my garden," he replied.
From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2016
Men, women, and children were hard at work—just as at Stromford—plowing, weeding, and hoeing.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
